Frequently asked questions

You can make two types of donation:

• A donation to the King Baudouin Foundation itself, which is then free to assign it to achieving its overall objectives. The donation can be made by a normal bank transfer to the account IBAN BE10 0000 0000 0404 BIC GEBABEBB. You can also make a specific donation for a particular theme or Foundation project.
• A donation to a specific project account or fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. This can be done by making a normal bank transfer to the account number IBAN BE10 0000 0000 0404 BIC GEBABEBB and stating the structured communication reference or the name of the fund.

You can also make an online donation via www.kbs-frb.be, using the search function to find the fund you are interested in or your chosen project account. Then, just click on the link ‘Make a donation’. A form specifically for your chosen fund or project account will appear. For all online donations, the King Baudouin Foundation works with an external partner (Ingenico Payment Services), which guarantees respect for your privacy as well as the coding security of all your data used to make the donation.

Donations of 40 euros or more to the KBF are entitled to a tax reduction of 45% of the amount effectively donated, which is stated on the tax certificate made by the Foundation.

And what about making a donation abroad?  This is also possible via the King Baudouin Foundation. We provide an international gateway that enables you to support projects in the public interest beyond our national borders. The Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) network, which is coordinated by the KBF, enables you to make a cross-border donation to projects in 20 countries across Europe and to benefit from a tax reduction on donations of 40 euros or more. The Myriad alliance, which brings together the King Baudouin Foundation, its North American entities and Give2Asia, facilitates and encourages cross-border donations throughout the world.

Dation is a system that enables one to settle inheritance tax in kind through, for instance, giving works of art instead of cash. Such an act is thus a transaction, not philanthropy. KBF does not engage in this kind of transaction.

Donation, on the other hand, involves making a philanthropic gesture that can take any of various forms, including money, works of art and real estate. Assets donated to KBF (e.g. works of art) are given with the aim of preserving them for future generations. KBF ensures that the works it acquires are promoted and made accessible to the general public, in line with the donors’ wishes.

KBF’s heritage collection includes 27,536 works and 27 archive collections, whose total value is estimated at some 175 million euros. 75% of the works come from donations and 25% from acquisitions. KBF entrusts the works on long-term loan to museums and cultural institutions, with the mission to promote and make them accessible to the general public.

www.heritage-kbf.be

We are always on the lookout for talented and committed people.

Sign up to our e-news, keep an eye on our social networks, or go straight to our latest job offers. You can also write to us directly for a job, an internship or to volunteer.

Come and join us as one of our new colleagues!

The King Baudouin Foundation is very grateful that it is able to call on the services of many hundreds of specialists and people with valuable experience each year. They act as completely independent jury members and receive no payment. They come from all sections of society and represent all world-views.
For a new call for projects, new people are asked to join the independent jury. When calls for projects are repeated, the members of the jury are often the same for some time.

In some cases the management committee of a Fund will act as a jury. A management committee will always include an expert, (a representative of) the founder and a representative of the KBF. Each management committee ensures that the Fund in question serves the public interest.

In some cases, the founders of Funds have already indicated which organisations working to serve the public interest will receive their support (even after their death). In this case the management committee monitors whether the organisation receiving support still meets the conditions to continue receiving that support.

If you are looking for funds for your project, you can submit an application if your project meets the criteria for a call for projects - you can stay up-to-date with calls for projects and the support available by subscribing to our newsletters and/or following us on social media.

Video 'Who decides whether your project will receive funding?'

Private individuals, organisations or companies that want to get involved in social engagement on a particular issue can set up their own foundation. Setting up and managing a foundation does, however, involve a lot of formalities. Setting up a Fund within the King Baudouin Foundation is a flexible approach that does not involve much administration.

A Fund that is managed by the Foundation always pursues an objective that is in the public interest and is, or was, close to the founder’s heart. A management committee is set up for each Fund, including as a minimum (a representative) of the founder, a representative of the KBF and an independent person. The management committee has extensive freedom of action, as long as the Fund continues to work within its mission. Funds can develop their own initiatives or provide financial support to (third party) projects. In the latter case, they can launch calls for project proposals.

The King Baudouin Foundation's Centre for Philanthropy provides expert advice and takes care of administrative and legal management, as well as helping to ensure continuity. The Funds form an integral part of the King Baudouin Foundation, which remains legally responsible for all the transactions and financial undertakings of the Funds.
The King Baudouin Foundation's Centre for Philanthropy provides the Funds with a secretarial service to provide general coordination and day-to-day management.

More information

From Belgium, you can support a European or international project or organisation using our philanthropic tools or assisted by the Transnational Giving Europe network and the Myriad alliance for borderless giving.

In addition to Belgium, the King Baudouin Foundation has a tax agreement with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and Denmark. Thanks to this recognition, it can provide a tax certificate for donations coming from these countries and intended to support a foreign project, under certain conditions and in accordance with the tax legislation in the country concerned.

If the donors are based in the European countries other than those mentioned above or elsewhere in the world (USA, Canada, Asia etc.), the Transnational Giving Europe network and the Myriad alliance for borderless giving can certainly help them.

More information

You can make a donation using a standard bank transfer to:
IBAN BE10 0000 0000 0404 BIC GEBABEBB
Or you can arrange a standing order with your bank.
You can of course make donations using home banking.
The King Baudouin Foundation works with an external company (Ingenico Payment Services) for all online financial transactions. This means that your privacy, security and encryption of all your transaction data can be guaranteed.
Donations of 40 euros and above into our IBAN account: BE10 0000 0000 0404 – BIC: GEBABEBB result in a tax reduction of 45% of the amount actually paid.

Annual donations of at least 40 euros to the King Baudouin Foundation give rise to a tax reduction of 45% of the amount actually paid. The grouped tax certificate for all donations made to or via the King Baudouin Foundation during the calendar year is sent at the end of February of the following year by post or e-mail (provided that the King Baudouin Foundation has the donor's e-mail address).

From Belgium, you can also support a project or organisation in Europe or abroad. The Myriad alliance for cross-border giving connects donors and project sponsors, wherever they are in the world.

More information

The King Baudouin Foundation has a tax agreement with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, France and Denmark. Thanks to this recognition it can provide a tax certificate for donations coming from these countries, in accordance with the tax legislation in the country concerned.

If the donors are based in European countries other than those mentioned above or elsewhere in the world (USA, Canada, Asia etc.), the Transnational Giving Europe network and the Myriad alliance for borderless giving can assist these donors.

From Belgium you can also support a project or organisation in Europe or internationally by setting up one of our philanthropic tools, or with help from the Transnational Giving Europe network and the Myriad alliance for borderless giving.

More information

Promoting philanthropy, which is one of the Foundation’s main missions, goes beyond the borders of a country.

The Foundation facilitates cross-border donations thanks to the expertise available at our Centre for Philanthropy. As well as being recognised in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France and Denmark, the Foundation plays a leading role in the Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) network, which helps Belgians to donate to high-quality projects elsewhere in Europe, and helps donors elsewhere in Europe to donate to Belgian organisations. TGE also supports efforts to promote cross-border giving at European policy level. The TGE network is active in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, the Grand -Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The network aims to extend its services to the whole of the European Union in future.

The Myriad alliance for borderless giving, which builds on nearly 30 years of KBF operations on the ground in North America and on the long-established expertise of Give2Asia, connects donors with trusted charities around the world. Myriad’s objective is to facilitate and encourage cross-border philanthropy worldwide. Thanks to Myriad, donors can make cross-border donations to good causes in almost 100 countries, benefitting from administrative and fiscal facilities.

transnationalgiving.eu
myriad.org

In principle, yes. Corporate Funds are normally for companies that already support philanthropic projects and want to create a better structure for their philanthropic activities. They may, however, be companies that are moving into social engagement for the first time. The King Baudouin Foundation does not link its expertise, experience and good reputation to a Corporate Fund until it has obtained a recommendation from ‘Vigeo Belgium’ (www.vigeo.com) on the company’s policies on corporate social responsibility.
More information

Use the ‘search’ function to find the Fund or project account of your choice. Then click on the ‘Gift online’ link. You will find a form specifically for the Fund or project account you have chosen.

In principle all you need to do is write down your wishes on paper and date and sign it. The King Baudouin Foundation can advise you on contacting your notary.

More information

Private individuals, organisations or companies that want to get involved in social engagement on a particular issue can set up their own foundation. Setting up and managing a foundation does, however, involve a lot of formalities. Setting up a Fund within the King Baudouin Foundation is a flexible approach that does not involve much administration.

A Fund that is managed by the Foundation always pursues an objective that is in the public interest and is, or was, close to the founder’s heart. A management committee is set up for each Fund, including as a minimum (a representative) of the founder, a representative of the KBF and an independent person. The management committee has extensive freedom of action, as long as the Fund continues to work within its mission. Funds can develop their own initiatives or provide financial support to (third party) projects. In the latter case, they can launch calls for project proposals.

The King Baudouin Foundation's Centre for Philanthropy provides expert advice and takes care of administrative and legal management, as well as helping to ensure continuity. The Funds form an integral part of the King Baudouin Foundation, which remains legally responsible for all the transactions and financial undertakings of the Funds.
The King Baudouin Foundation's Centre for Philanthropy provides the Funds with a secretarial service to provide general coordination and day-to-day management.

More information

The number of donations we receive fluctuates from one year to the next and is influenced by large-scale activities in which the Foundation participates. The amount received as donations also changes from year to year. It sometimes happens that an extremely large donation brings a big increase in the total amount and, as a result, this creates an inadvertently distorted image.

The Foundation guarantees that the money received as donations is re-distributed to good causes and supports projects carried out in the public interest. The Foundation’s mission is to encourage individuals and businesses to donate better and more for the public interest – to give via and not to the Foundation.

The King Baudouin Foundation sends out tax certificates at the end of February each year for donations received in the previous year. These tax certificates entitle donors to a tax reduction of 45% on the amount donated, for donations to the Foundation of at least 40 euros. The number of tax certificates sent out fluctuates from year to year and is influenced by large-scale activities in which the Foundation participates.

The Foundation guarantees that the money received as donations is re-distributed to good causes and supports projects carried out in the public interest. The Foundation’s mission is to boost philanthropy and encourage individuals and businesses to donate better and more for the public interest – to give via and not to the Foundation.

The number of legacies that we receive fluctuates from year to year, as does their value. It may happen that a legacy creates a large increase in the total value and, as a result, creates an inadvertently distorted image.

The legacies we receive are above all destined for the Funds and other philanthropic instruments that the Foundation manages and which have clearly-defined objectives of public interest. The last Philanthropy Barometer published by the King Baudouin Foundation in 2017, showed that, from a financial point of view, Belgians favour primarily the following themes:
- health and medical research
- humanitarian relief and development aid
- the fight against poverty and support for social justice.

No The Foundation does not position itself as a competitor to other good causes and NGOs. We do not conduct fund-raising activities or tombolas etc. We stimulate philanthropy and encourage individuals and businesses to give better and more for the public interest - to give via and not to the Foundation.

The Flemish government has made changes to the fiscal treatment of donations and bequests, relating to philanthropy. The new rules come into force on 1 July 2021, and will apply to donations or bequests after that date for everyone who is domiciled in the Flemish Region.

Zero rate
There is a 0% rate of both gift tax and inheritance tax that applies to good causes. This means that donations to good causes are no longer subject to tax. Good causes also no longer have to pay any inheritance tax for bequests made in a will, if the death occurs after 1 July 2021. As a public welfare foundation, the King Baudouin Foundation benefits from these 0% rates.

No remaining tax benefit from a “duo legacy” (combined bequest)
At the same time the tax benefits of the “duo legacy” in the Flemish Region have been reduced. There are a number of variants of this technique, but it comes down to a will with two bequests: one bequest to a good cause combined with a second bequest to other persons (often distant family members, friends or acquaintances), for which the good cause pays all the inheritance tax. In practice this was beneficial for the recipient of the bequest and an amount also went to the good cause. The method used to calculate “duo legacies” is changing, however, so that more inheritance tax is due and there is little remaining benefit or even a detrimental impact on the good cause: in these situations the organisation will reject the legacy.

In the Flemish region a so-called ‘friends legacy’ is also being introduced: a limited share (maximum of € 15,000) of the estate can be bequeathed to one or more good friends or distant family members and receives preferential tax treatment.

Reviewing your will
The new tax rules - including those that apply to “duo legacies” - come into force on 1 July 2021, and the relevant date is the date of death, not the date of the will. Anyone who has already made a will with a “duo legacy” should check the impact of these changes and consider whether a change is necessary.

The advice provided by our philanthropy advisers is always based on the current legislative framework. In addition to personal changes in the individual’s own life, expectations and wishes, tax changes like this are a further reason why we always recommend regularly reviewing any philanthropic arrangement that has been put in place.

The advisers at the Centre for Philanthropy are available to help you with your philanthropic plans and will be happy to provide more information about the changes. We also suggest that you ask for recommendations from your notary or adviser.

You can download virtually all our publications or view them online free of charge.

We only request a small payment for co-editions (beautiful publications with illustrations, graphics etc.). You can order these publications online (you will receive a confirmation e-mail) and also pay for them when you order. The King Baudouin Foundation works with an external company (Shopify) for all online financial transactions. This means that your privacy, security and encryption of all your transaction data can be guaranteed.

In exceptional cases you can also request a printout of free publications. This will then be sent to you free of charge.

Registration for an event should preferably be done online using this website. You will see a confirmation screen so you can be sure that you have registered.
If you wish to register multiple individuals, you must complete a separate registration form for each individual.

No problem. If information is available, we will be glad to send it to you afterwards. Please send us an e-mail with your address details. Or call us on +32 (0)2-500 4 555.

To ensure that proposed projects fit in as well as possible with the aims of the call for projects, selection criteria are always defined. These give the applicant a clear indication of whether it is worth submitting a project proposal. If the applicant or the project do not really meet the selection criteria, it makes no sense to waste time and energy on completing an application.

The selection criteria are a useful tool to help the independent jury to reach a decision. The system ensures that the King Baudouin Foundation is able to support the most suitable candidates.
The selection criteria are defined separately for each call for projects. Calls for projects that are repeated often use the same selection criteria.

The amount varies from one call for projects to another. Look at the ‘selection criteria’ section in the call for projects for which you want to submit an application.

The King Baudouin Foundation is very grateful that it is able to call on the services of many hundreds of specialists and people with valuable experience each year. They act as completely independent jury members and receive no payment. They come from all sections of society and represent all world-views.
For a new call for projects, new people are asked to join the independent jury. When calls for projects are repeated, the members of the jury are often the same for some time.

In some cases the management committee of a Fund will act as a jury. A management committee will always include an expert, (a representative of) the founder and a representative of the KBF. Each management committee ensures that the Fund in question serves the public interest.

In some cases, the founders of Funds have already indicated which organisations working to serve the public interest will receive their support (even after their death). In this case the management committee monitors whether the organisation receiving support still meets the conditions to continue receiving that support.

If you are looking for funds for your project, you can submit an application if your project meets the criteria for a call for projects - you can stay up-to-date with calls for projects and the support available by subscribing to our newsletters and/or following us on social media.

Video 'Who decides whether your project will receive funding?'

You will receive an evaluation form from us, asking about your achievements, factors that have had a role in supporting or hindering your work, the target groups reached, your impact and learning points etc.

Some tips on how to communicate about your project

The King Baudouin Foundation works with independent juries to exclude any bias or preferential treatment. There is no opportunity for further discussion after the selection process. You may, however, submit an application form for a new call for projects, or for a different one.
 

No. Your application is no more likely to be selected if you enclose appendices. To be selected, it is important that your proposal meets the selection criteria and that you communicate as concretely as possible about the strengths of your proposal.
In some calls for projects you are expressly asked to provide an appendix. In this case, it is obviously important that you should do so.
 

No, you cannot do that. To submit an application form you have to register. Your registration is personal. When you complete an application form, this means you are also the person who finally sends the application form.

Of course. But you don’t need to. After you have clicked on the ‘final send’ button, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation e-mail from us. The confirmation e-mail will also include a pdf containing the application form that you have completed.

Completing an application form online takes an average of one hour. All you need to do is click the ‘temporary save’ button and everything you have entered will be saved. Simply log in to our site again a few hours or a few days later. In the ‘My KBF’ section (at the top on the right) you can click on the application form you were working on and continue filling in your application form. It is only when you click on the ‘final send’ button and receive a confirmation screen and confirmation e-mail from us that you have officially submitted your application form.

Our contact centre will help you. Call +32 (0)2-500 4 555 or send an e-mail to proj@kbs-frb.be

As soon as you click on ‘final send’, you will see a confirmation screen. An e-mail with a pdf (of the application form you have completed) will be sent automatically to the e-mail address you used to register. Because this is an automatically created e-mail, it may be that your personal e-mail settings identify automatically created e-mails such as this as ‘spam’. In this event our automatic confirmation e-mail may get blocked in your filter.

For every call for projects we provide a pdf setting out all the questions, so that you can discuss the answers to these questions with others beforehand. You cannot, of course, fill in the pdf itself, but you can complete an application form for the relevant call for projects online and send it to us.

You must enter a bank account number. Otherwise you will not be able to send in your application form. Discuss with the other people involved which bank account number to enter for this application form.

The final submission date is different for each call for projects and is indicated on this website. Application forms for which you receive our automatic confirmation e-mail on the final submission date at 23:59 (Belgian time) are valid as long as they meet the selection criteria for the call for projects. The confirmation e-mail shows that we have officially accepted your application form.

A national number - which is also called an organisation number, company number or branch unit number - is a unique code given to you by the government (Law of 24.6.2003). Your national number has 10 digits. It is important that you enter the full number in this application form, with no spaces. If your number has only 9 digits, you should add an extra 0 at the beginning. For example, do not write: 793589456. Instead, write your actual national number, which is: 0793589456. It is important not to add any spaces. All the digits must be together, with no spaces.

Only if your organisation does NOT have a national number, are you allowed to enter 0 where you are asked for your national number.

More information about national numbers is available here

Snapshot

Financial report

The King Baudouin Foundation was set up in 1976, to mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of King Baudouin’s reign. At that time it was decided to set up an organisation that would work in the public interest. The Foundation was given an initial capital of one billion Belgian francs (approximately €25 million). These funds were raised through fund-raising, a premium provided by the Council of Ministers and from the issue of gold and silver commemorative coins and postage stamps

On the occasion of the 60/40 celebration (when King Baudouin was 60 years old and had been on the throne for 40 years), the donations made were once again given to the King Baudouin Foundation. That reinforced our capital.

Since that time the Foundation has continued to invest these funds. The Financial Committee advises on the (re)investment of the Foundation’s own assets. Each year a proportion of the yield is used to support third party projects and cover operating costs.

The assets of the KBF consist of two blocks: assets belonging to the KBF itself and those belonging to the Funds that it manages. The market value of the Funds’ asset portfolios is 1.032 million euros, far more than the assets of the Foundation itself, which amount to 376 million euros (figures from 2022).

Legally the assets all belong to the KBF. The assets of the Funds, however, can only be used to further the aims of each individual Fund, according to the strict criteria that were defined when it was set up. These are resources that have been donated to serve the public interest. They are donated via the Foundation, not to the Foundation itself.
The Foundation’s assets have been increasing, particularly in the past ten years and it is mainly the assets of the Funds that are growing much faster, thanks to the generosity of numerous philanthropists who make donations during their lives or through wills and bequests.

There are broadly three explanations for the increase in assets. First of all, philanthropy has clearly gained in popularity. There is a large group of people who lived through the Second World War and then saw the years of economic growth. Almost one in six people from this generation have no direct descendants. Many of these people are actively thinking about what should be done with their wealth after they die. On the other hand people from the Baby Boomer generation, born after WWII, are increasingly attracted to the idea of doing something in a structured way to serve the public interest while they are still alive.

Another explanation is that both groups can contact the Foundation’s Centre for Philanthropy to ask for guidance or help if they wish. In recent decades the Centre has become expert in advising and creating solutions to respond to donors’ wishes in flexible ways. Donors are also welcomed who do not have large amounts of wealth to give away but still want to find a solution on the right scale that will allow them to have an impact.

Along the way, considerable expertise has been acquired in supporting cross-border philanthropy. The King Baudouin Foundation, KBF United States, KBF Canada and Transnational Giving Europe all have their own role within the KBF Family as a global philanthropic enabler.

They provide services targeting all cross-border philanthropy - from other countries to Belgium, from Belgium to other countries and between third countries. As a result these forms of philanthropy have increased in scale and this has contributed some of the growth in assets.

Finally, a smaller part of the growth in the Foundation's assets can be accounted for by the active investment approach that has always been followed.

In order to be able to work in the long term, the KBF seeks to achieve a reasonable yield, which requires an active investment policy. The investment portfolio comprises about 60 percent equities, 35 percent bonds and 5 percent real estate property. In the coming years, we will add a number of new asset classes to the portfolio, namely Private Equity, Infrastructure Equity and Private Debt.

The investment strategy for the assets of the King Baudouin Foundation also includes sustainability criteria in environmental, social and governance terms (ESG criteria). This strategy reflects the Foundation's desire to make good use of its capital. The KBF invests in enterprises that score ‘best in class’ and systematically excludes investments in certain sectors such as the controversial arms sector.

The equities portfolio is invested 27,5 percent in Europe, 26,4 percent in the USA, 6,4 percent in Asia and 4,8 percent in emerging economies. It consists of a mixture of small cap bonds and large cap bonds. The portfolio of bonds consists of Euro corporate bonds (15%), European government bonds (5%) and European inflation linked bonds (6%). The remainder of the portfolio consists of Asset-Backed Securities (7%) and European real estate (5%).

The Foundation is assisted in this area by a Financial Committee which sets out its investment strategy and monitors its implementation. The Financial Committee is aided by specialist firms.

The market value of the Funds’ asset portfolios is 1.032 million euros, far more than the assets of the Foundation itself, which amount to 376 million euros (figures from 2023).

Legally these assets do all belong to the KBF. The assets of the Funds, however, can only be used for the objectives of each individual Fund, according to the strict criteria that were defined when it was set up. This money has been donated to serve the public interest. The funds are donated via the Foundation, not to the Foundation itself. This is why the Foundation always makes a distinction between the two.
 

The Financial Committee outlines the strategy for the investment of the capital of the King Baudouin Foundation and the Funds. The Financial Committee outlines the strategy for investing the King Baudouin Foundation’s assets and also monitors these investments, with assistance from specialist companies. Three members of the Financial Committee are appointed by the Board of Governors and these three individuals cannot to be members of the Board of Governors.

The lawmakers decided several decades ago that the National Lottery should support good causes in society, inspired by the example of lotteries in our neighbouring countries. The King Baudouin Foundation is one of the partners trusted by the National Lottery to make good use of these funds. The annual grant from the National Lottery is 9.8 million euros (amount fixed till 2024).

The grant from the National Lottery continues to be an important source of funding for the Foundation. It offers the Foundation the opportunity to respond to needs that cannot be dealt with immediately through the Funds (which have strict objectives) or to have a greater impact in specific areas. The Foundation is also able to use them to test innovative methods that can later be taken over by Funds.
 

Over the years, the Foundation has built up an art collection which now includes some 27.536 works and 27 archival funds. These works have all been given on long-term loan to Belgian museums and related institutions, with instructions to make them accessible to the public.
The value of the collection can be broadly estimated at about 175 million euros, but this figure is irrelevant in itself because the works can never be sold off or transferred in any way; they must be preserved for future generations. Their value is zero in accounting terms: they are 'demonetised’ as soon as they come into our possession, so they are not included on the Foundation’s balance sheet. This means that they cannot be sold even in the event of a liquidation or bankruptcy.

Many times each year the Foundation receives a legacy, in virtually all cases as the manager of a Fund that receives the legacy. Quite often these legacies also include real estate property. The Foundation usually sells the real estate property.

There are two exceptions:
- Preservation of a property (building or land) is sometimes included in the mission of the Fund, particularly if it has value as a heritage monument or as protected countryside, or if it needs to be used for an initiative in the public interest.
- In exceptional cases the property is let out so that the rent can be used to provide income for the specific Fund.
 

Foundations award more than just subsidies (non-repayable grants), financed through the returns on their capital. They can also use their capital directly to realise impact through various forms of impact (first) investing.

Investing with impact (impact investing) means not only considering the financial return on the assets when investing, but also the social impact of the company or organisation in which one invests. Whereas in impact investing the financial return and social impact are assessed on the same footing, in impact first investing the social impact is assessed as more important than the financial return.

It is a growing business that can take many forms such as loans, investing in the capital of the organisation involved, social impact bonds, guarantees and other innovative methods.

As an independent player, the King Baudouin Foundation can be a pioneer in testing innovative models to create and/or increase social impact. Both with its own capital and with the capital of the Funds it manages, it actively engages in impact (first) investing. One example: the Foundation invested €1,000,000 in the start-up of Kampani, a Belgian social impact investment fund dedicated to strengthening the potential of entrepreneurship in agriculture in the Global South. For example, Kampani issues loans to farming organisations and cooperatives in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and in parts of Asia that find it difficult to access mainstream funding opportunities. The Foundation invested with its own capital and together with the capital of 2 of its Funds (Fund Carlier and Fund Ramos) in this innovative impact-first investment.

ZOOM: Impact investing in developing countries

We are pleased that for decades now we have been able to call upon a very wide-ranging group of experts and representatives of society, who sit on a number of decision-making bodies, acting on a voluntary basis.

The Board of Governors draws up the main lines of policy and takes decisions by a majority vote.

The Financial Committee outlines the strategy for the investment of the King Baudouin Foundation’s assets and also monitors those investments, with assistance from specialist companies. Three persons are appointed to the Financial Committee by the Board of Governors - those three people cannot be members of the Board of Governors.

The management is responsible for day-to-day leadership of the Foundation.

There are also support committees, management committees, juries and working groups, each with a pluralistic membership. These make statements on specific programmes, publications or calls for projects.
All Funds managed by the King Baudouin Foundation use their resources to serve the public interest. Each one has a management committee with at least three members: an expert, a representative of the founder and a representative of the Foundation. In many cases the management committee also includes additional experts.

The work of the Foundation is monitored by a number of audit bodies. Its financial reports are audited by the Audit Committee and also by an external auditor. An external consultant carries out a fully independent verification several times each year, based on a sample of projects, to check whether all the procedures have been followed correctly. A team of censors checks whether the Foundation is carrying out the instructions conferred on it by wills and bequests.

The Nomination Committee makes a proposal for the composition of the King Baudouin Foundation’s Board of Governors and other committees.

The Foundation’s Board of Governors Haq a pluralistic membership to give a fair representation of the different views within society.

The Board of Governors, which sets out the main lines of the Foundation's policy, is made up of a Chair, two Vice-Chairs and a maximum of 12 Governors, including the Managing Director. 

The Board of Governors determines who sits on its Nomination Committee, ensuring that the various views and sensitivities within society are represented.

No. The members of the Board of Governors, the management committees and the juries are not paid for their activities in support of the King Baudouin Foundation. The Foundation is very grateful to them.

The King Baudouin Foundation is financially independent. In its day-to-day activities it also works with people, institutions and organisations with all world-views, coming from every part of society. The Foundation works independently of political authorities in Belgium at every level.

Our Board of Governors has a pluralistic membership so that it reflects Belgian society. The same is also true of the support committees for programmes and (certain) projects, and for the support committees that monitor research proposed to the King Baudouin Foundation. Finally there are also juries that consider the selection of projects that will receive support through calls for projects. Once again these have a pluralistic membership.

The Foundation was set up on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the late King Baudouin's reign, and it bears his name. Nevertheless, it maintains its independence from the Royal Family. Within the Foundation there are five Funds that bear the names of members of the Royal Family - the KBF Africa Prize (formerly King Baudouin African Development Prize), the Queen Fabiola Fund for mental health, the Prince Albert Fund, the Prince Philippe Fund and the Queen Mathilde Fund – each of which has an independent management committee.

Thanks to its independence, the King Baudouin Foundation can provide a forum for debate. We are able to bring together people with very diverse views to discuss sensitive issues and in some cases to work together.

The King Baudouin Foundation is independent and pluralistic, which provides a guarantee of its continuity and operation.

The Foundation works in a way that is independent of politics on every level, in Belgium, Europe and internationally. Its governing bodies, including the Board of Governors, have a pluralistic membership to represent the various sensitivities that exist in society. The Foundation is also an independent meeting place, providing a space where dialogue and possibly collaboration can occur between people with very different views and opinions.

​The Foundation is an independent public welfare institution, and governments both within and outside Belgium have no power to make decisions about it. The only exception to this is the decision on the amount of the grant from the National Lottery, which is taken every four years at Federal level. This grant accounts for less than 10 percent of the King Baudouin Foundation's annual operational budget.

Occasionally the Foundation carries out well-defined missions at the request of government bodies or members of the government. It makes decisions on this autonomously and independently, including whether or not a mission is accepted and how it is carried out in practice. For example, the Foundation organises a selection of projects by an independent jury, supports researchers to communicate research results transparently and organises citizens’ forums.

The King Baudouin Foundation is independent and pluralistic, which provides a guarantee of its continuity and operation.

The Foundation was set up in 1976 to mark the 25th anniversary of King Baudouin’s reign. It therefore bears his name, even though it operates independently of the Royal Family. The Foundation is grateful that the Royal Family shows an interest in its activities and for the way in which the Royal Family respects its independence and pluralism.

Five Funds managed by the King Baudouin Foundation bear the names of members of the Royal Family: the KBF Africa Prize (formerly the King Baudouin African Development Prize), the Queen Fabiola Fund for mental health, the Prince Albert Fund, the Prince Philippe Fund and the Queen Mathilde Fund. Like all the Funds operating within the Foundation, these Funds have an independent Management Committee.

One Governor represents the King on the Board of Governors of the King Baudouin Foundation. This Governor has the same vote as the 11 other members of the Board of Governors.

The King Baudouin Foundation is independent and pluralistic, which provides a guarantee of its continuity and operation.

The Foundation operates independently of all sectors in the business world. This does not prevent it from entering into partnerships and collaborations with companies to carry out its missions and enhance its impact, as in the case of the Venture Philanthropy Fund.
The Foundation also helps businesses, companies and SMEs that wish to make a concrete philanthropic commitment or engage in activities in the public interest. It makes a range of philanthropy vehicles available for their use:
- a Corporate Fund allows a company to structure its philanthropic activities and entrust its management to the Foundation. Before creating such a Fund, the Foundation requests an assessment from Vigeo Belgium regarding the company’s policies and its corporate social responsibility. A Corporate Fund operates with an independent management committee, which makes strategic decisions, and an independent jury responsible for selecting which projects are to be supported. The King Baudouin Foundation takes responsibility for the administration and management of the Fund.
- a philanthropic action for SMEs is a faster and more flexible solution than a Corporate Fund. It reduces the administration required to an absolute minimum. The Foundation manages the resources of the philanthropic action for SMEs, takes care of taxation aspects and provides support. The duration of a philanthropic action for SMEs is fixed at one year but this can be extended with the agreement of both parties.
- a charity account allows a company to decide which projects in the public interest should receive support. Donations to a charity account are passed on by the company to support projects in the public interest in Belgium and Europe. Before opening a charity account, the King Baudouin Foundation requests an opinion from Vigeo Belgium on the company's policy and social responsibility.

In the field of health, a limited number of Funds receive support from the pharmaceutical industry. This is done in accordance with the ethical code for the pharmaceutical sector, which specifically means that donations must be transparent. Donations made by pharmaceutical companies can be consulted on the Betransparent.be platform. Pharmaceutical companies that make donations never decide on the way support is provided (for research) by the Funds involved. They do not know which (research) projects apply for support, nor can they ask the King Baudouin Foundation or a Fund to conduct or commission specific research.

The King Baudouin Foundation’s expenditure is audited by a number of bodies:
• the Foundation's Board of Governors takes ultimate responsibility for the budget and for the accounts published every year in its annual report;.
• the Financial Committee advises the Board of Governors on (re)investment of the Foundation's assets;
• four censors monitor the Foundation's administration of wills and bequests;
• the Audit Committee assists the Board of Governors in auditing the balance sheet, the profit and loss accounts and the financial report. It also monitors the effectiveness of internal audit and risk management systems.

The King Baudouin Foundation's budget and annual accounts are submitted to a company auditor for an annual audit. At the end of the financial year, the audited accounts are filed with the Registrar of the Brussels Commercial Court and the National Bank of Belgium. A consultancy firm is also asked to check the Foundation's compliance with its own current procedures concerning the management of projects and Funds. The firm reports to the Audit Committee.

Financial report

Four censors monitor the management of wills and bequests by the King Baudouin Foundation. The censors report to the Board of Governors on the way in which the Foundation manages the bequests that it receives and fulfils the obligations resulting from these.

The funds used for the work of the King Baudouin Foundation in 2023 are broken down as follows:

• EUR 160 million for the Funds managed by the KBS
• 16.4 million for the programmes
• 27 million operational costs

Out of a total budget of almost 203,4 million euros in 2024, operating costs accounted for approximately 13,3 %, or 27 million euros. 

The King Baudouin Foundation's Remuneration Committee makes decisions on all aspects of the system used for remuneration of the Foundation's staff.

There is no system of bonuses within the Foundation. According to an analysis carried out by the Hay Group in 2016, the salaries of the Foundation's employees are at normal levels for the marketplace, with the exception of executives (graduates), who are about 5% below the market rate.

The Remuneration Committee drafts an appraisal procedure for the Foundation’s employees, based on their overall work, the achievement of pre-defined targets and their personal development plan. The results of the annual appraisals carried out for staff and managers are submitted to the Remuneration Committee for validation.

Managers of selected projects have to submit an interim report and/or a final evaluation report on their achievements. The Foundation checks that resources have been allocated correctly, in proportion with the level of support provided. It also evaluates the process and the impact of projects to draw lessons from these.

The King Baudouin Foundation evaluates the projects and individuals it supports to determine whether they are bringing about change, ways in which they are inspiring others, what target group they are reaching and the impact they are having. Although it is sometimes difficult to measure the impact of every project, these evaluations help the Foundation to refine and adapt its working methods and its approach. The Foundation also learns lessons from those projects or individuals who do not achieve their goals. It examines the reasons for this and reflects on different approaches for the future.

Once every three years the Foundation carries out a major survey of all the individuals and organisations that have received grants during the preceding years. In this large-scale survey the Foundation looks carefully at the changes that they have brought about, the target groups reached etc. Special attention is also devoted to their collaboration with the Foundation (service, guidance, intervision, knowledge sharing etc.).

This multilevel evaluation, including projects with positive results and also the less successful ones, allows the Foundation to learn lessons for the future and to engage even more effectively to build a better society.
Learning from grantees

In many cases, calls for projects are launched by the King Baudouin Foundation or the Funds that it manages. Anyone who meets the pre-defined criteria for the call can apply to receive support. A jury of external experts, working on a voluntary basis, evaluates the applications. In a number of cases the management committee of a Fund will act as a jury. These management committees always include an expert, (a representative of) the founder and a representative of the KBF. Each management committee ensures that the Fund in question serves the public interest.

In some cases the founders of Funds have already indicated which organisations working to serve the public interest will receive their support (even after their death). In this case the management committee monitors whether the organisation being supported still meets the conditions necessary to continue receiving that support.

If you are looking for resources for your project, you can submit an application if your project meets the criteria for a call and you can stay up to date with calls for projects and the support available by subscribing to our newsletters and/or following our social media posts.

Video 'Who decides whether your project will recieve funding?'

Neither the Board of Governors nor the staff of the King Baudouin Foundation decide on which projects are selected or how funds are allocated. This responsibility is entrusted to the committees, commissions and juries which consist of independent experts who act on a voluntary basis for the King Baudouin Foundation. In 2021, some 4,116 experts sat on these.

The Foundation is responsible for the membership of the committees, commissions and juries of the Funds and the calls for projects that it manages, so as to ensure that the pluralism of our society is represented. The Foundation’s Board of Governors approves the membership of each management committee. The membership of juries is subject to approval by the Foundation’s management.
• A Management Committee is created for each Fund. This includes the founder or a representative of the founder, a number of experts and a representative of the Foundation.
• A Support Committee is put in place for most of the Foundation's (sub-)programmes and projects. Experts and front-line workers have seats on this committee, acting on a voluntary basis. The Support Committees help the Foundation’s workers to translate into concrete action the main lines set out by the Board of Governors.
• A jury is composed of independent experts. It has the task of analysing application forms relating to calls for projects and evaluating these applications on the basis of pre-defined selection criteria. The jury selects the projects that meet these criteria best.

Other types of structures include monitoring committees, the educational or scientific committee, selection committee, philanthropic committee, recommendations committee, investment committee and reflection group.

The names of those who sit on the Management Committees, Support Committees, Expert Committees and independent juries are set out in the activity report, which can be viewed at www.kbs-frb.be. An activity report covering the previous year is published in May each year.

Video 'Who decides whether your project will recieve funding?'

Many contemporary problems are inter-related and require collaboration at European or supranational level. Examples of such problems include migration, climate change, transition to a circular economy, innovation in health care and addressing social problems. The King Baudouin Foundation therefore works closely with other foundations from all European countries, so that their voices can be heard on this policy level and also to support cross-border projects by providing financial resources, networking and lobbying. Such collaboration frameworks can also be a very enriching forum that enables people to share knowledge and experience and inspire each other.

The King Baudouin Foundation has the advantage of being based in Brussels, the capital of the EU, and it quite often takes a leading role in collaboration frameworks with other foundations and partners. It considers it important to contribute towards safeguarding the achievements of European integration and strengthening the work of the Union and of the democratic system.

The Foundation also has the (growing) activity area of Africa and Global South, where it mainly uses funds from private donors (individuals, families and companies), who have expressed a willingness to provide support outside Europe, often focusing on a specific country. Together with the Funds set up by these donors, the Foundation supports individuals and organisations in civil society with specific projects or with their general operations, providing financial resources, technical assistance and/or networking.

Promoting philanthropy, which is one of the Foundation’s main missions, goes beyond the borders of a country. The Foundation facilitates cross-border donations thanks to the expertise available at our Centre for Philanthropy. The Foundation plays a leading role in the Transnational Giving Europe (TGE) network, which helps Belgians to donate to high-quality projects elsewhere in Europe, or helps donors elsewhere in Europe to donate to Belgian organisations. TGE also supports efforts to promote cross-border giving at European policy level. The TGE network is active in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The network aims to extend its services to the whole of the European Union in future.

The Myriad alliance for borderless giving, which builds on nearly 30 years of KBF operations on the ground in North America and on the long-established expertise of Give2Asia, connects donors with trusted charities around the world. Myriad’s objective is to facilitate and encourage cross-border philanthropy worldwide. Thanks to Myriad, donors can make cross-border donations to good causes in almost 100 countries, benefitting from administrative and fiscal facilities.

transnationalgiving.eu
myriad.org